Unfortunately the school is all talk and no action. You will likely be seduced after conversations with administrators and your recruiter that lead you to believe they are carrying out a mission of excellence - taking children that (these are there words) have been at schools and in communities that have failed them and offering a chance for redemption.
The problem with this is there is little to no responsibility placed on the children. They are not blamed for their actions, because AF believes they are victims of their surroundings. This does not lend well to teaching children to take ownership and control of their behavior.
Disciplinary systems are in place - stringent ones that look great on paper. The problem is the administration doesn't follow through with their plan of action. Extreme disrespect of teachers (think: name calling, eye rolling, blatant defiance,) is met with a "stern talking to" from an administrator, if that. There was no loss of privileges for the student when I was there.
There is a system where students can gain or lose points. Once they reach a certain point value, consequences are meant to be put into play. At AF Bridgeport Middle, the administration made the huge mistake of giving a "trial run" for the first week or so of school. Meaning, children could pretty much run amuck and it wasn't until the week after that they would receive consequences. That didn't set a good precedent.
As the other reviews state, get ready to eat/sleep/breathe AF. I feel it is also necessary to add that out of the 12 new hires, I know of at least 7 that left within the first 2 months of school.
